In an in-depth interview with a Tanzanian journalist, Nyamvumba was asked about Rwanda’s post-genocide recovery, secretes on how the country healed from deep wounds and managed to rebuild itself from scratch.

As a former member of the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) that stopped the genocide, Nyamvumba described the state of the country in July 1994, saying that the first steps in nation-building began amid complete devastation.

“In 1994, Kigali was a city filled with corpses. The very first thing we did after taking control of the country was to clean up the city and remove the bodies. We saw dogs and vultures feeding on the dead. That was the image of Rwanda, a country in total disarray, without a single functioning piece of infrastructure,” he said.

He explained that the RPA’s immediate task was to restore dignity and order, but there were no institutions, no systems and no resources to rely on.

“After the Genocide, there was nothing left. No government institutions, nothing that was working. So, when you look back to where and compare it to where Rwanda is today, it feels like a miracle. But it’s a miracle we created ourselves,” he emphasized.

To illustrate just how much has changed, he shared a personal anecdote. He revealed that between 2008 and 2009, his children came home with a math assignment and asked for help, but he couldn’t remember the methods.

He remembers using phone to look it up and walking them through the assignment. “I told them they were lucky that he was able to use his phone reminding them of a time when this country didn’t even have mobile phones. They laughed and asked, ‘But Dad, how did people even survive back then?” he said.

Nyamvumba said it’s hard for the younger generation to grasp the hardships Rwanda faced, like the absence of electricity and communication systems because of how far the country has advanced.

Looking to the future, Gen Nyamvumba reaffirmed Rwanda’s ambitious development goals; to become a middle-income country by 2035 and achieve high-income status by 2050.

“We believe it’s possible. In 1994, Rwanda’s GDP was about $3 billion. Today, it exceeds $15 billion. With strategic investment and hard work, over a million people have been lifted out of poverty in just the past 20 years,” he said.

“We’ve seen other countries, particularly in East Asia, do it. We might be from different continents, but we have the same minds, the same determination. With our leadership and vision, we will get there. That’s my belief,” he said.

Rwanda’s Ambassador to Tanzania, Gen Patrick Nyamvumba, has said that the progress Rwanda has achieved in the 31 years since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi is extraordinary, more like a miracle, made possible by the resilience, unity, and determination of the Rwandan people themselves.